Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
Posted to rec.audio.tech
|
|||
|
|||
incomplete erase of old recordings on cassette
Hello,
my old 3-head dual capstan cassette deck doesn't fully erase old recordings any more, they are still audible but very quiet. Demagnetizing and cleaning the heads didn't help. Unfortunately I forgot to turn off the power before demagnetizing, could it be I damaged something? Any help is appreciated. Regards Willem |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.tech
|
|||
|
|||
incomplete erase of old recordings on cassette
"Willem Hansel" wrote in message ... Hello, my old 3-head dual capstan cassette deck doesn't fully erase old recordings any more, they are still audible but very quiet. Demagnetizing and cleaning the heads didn't help. Unfortunately I forgot to turn off the power before demagnetizing, could it be I damaged something? Any help is appreciated. Regards Willem If the machine still works on playback you didn't damage anything. The AC field produced by the demagnetizer would make a big hum through the playback preamp, but you probably wouldn't hear it because of a muting circuit in the player. The erase head could still be dirty, or (less likely) worn, but there could also be a lack of back-tension on the supply side, mainly if it's a single-capstan design - a bad soft-brake for example - or the tape path may have a problem such as skewing the tape somewhat, or the erase head could have had a wire come unsoldered. The recorded music + bias would partially erase the old music, but not completely. That's why the erase head is there in the first place. Mark Z. |
#3
Posted to rec.audio.tech
|
|||
|
|||
incomplete erase of old recordings on cassette
"Willem Hansel" wrote in message ... Hello, my old 3-head dual capstan cassette deck doesn't fully erase old recordings any more, they are still audible but very quiet. Demagnetizing and cleaning the heads didn't help. Unfortunately I forgot to turn off the power before demagnetizing, could it be I damaged something? Any help is appreciated. Regards Willem obtain a bulk tape eraser. a small hand held type will be adequate. similar to one pictured in this e-bay auction http://makeashorterlink.com/?U675416DC to operate, plug in, press button, slowly rub the tape back and forth against the electromagnet, slowly pull tape away. then release button. demagnetizing will have no effect on the ability of a tape recorders erase head to erase. |
#4
Posted to rec.audio.tech
|
|||
|
|||
incomplete erase of old recordings on cassette
"Willem Hansel" wrote ...
my old 3-head dual capstan cassette deck doesn't fully erase old recordings any more, they are still audible but very quiet. Demagnetizing and cleaning the heads didn't help. There are several things that could cause this. One of the more likely is that the head is physically not contacting the tape (or contacting it in the right way/place). You might try taking a cassette and cutting away some of the shell so you can observe how the head and the tape interact. The other possibility is that the bias/erase oscillator is not putting as much signal into the erase head as it used to. Have you noticed any change in how recordings sound (other than the background sound because of the partial erasure.)? Have high frequencies become diminished, etc? This may be another indication that the bias signal has weakened, etc. Unfortunately I forgot to turn off the power before demagnetizing, could it be I damaged something? That has the significant potential of damaging the play- back circuitry, but is unlikely to have any effect on the erase functionality. Not recommended that you do that again. |
#5
Posted to rec.audio.tech
|
|||
|
|||
incomplete erase of old recordings on cassette
"Willem Hansel" wrote in message
... Hello, my old 3-head dual capstan cassette deck doesn't fully erase old recordings any more, they are still audible but very quiet. Demagnetizing and cleaning the heads didn't help. Unfortunately I forgot to turn off the power before demagnetizing, could it be I damaged something? Any help is appreciated. **It is likely that the erase head is either buggered (unlikely) or the wiring to the erase head is damaged. You probably did not damage anything by demagnetising the heads, but it is good practice to shut of the power first. And, before anyone asks, the bias signal on the record head will be sufficient to effect a partial erasure of the tape. -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au |
Reply |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Question FAQ: rec.audio.* Recording 2/99 (part 7 of 13) | Pro Audio | |||
OT Political | Pro Audio | |||
Are modern recordings so bad that they would sound the same if recorded on a cassette? | Audio Opinions | |||
Why all the bad recordings | High End Audio | |||
digitizing cassette recordings | General |